A guide to new ambitions in work, relationships and learning, by our most inspired thinker on society and community.
“Scintillating . . . prophetic . . . engaging” – Financial Times
“A masterpiece” – The Times
What is worth knowing?
What does it mean to be alive?
Where can one find nourishment for the mind?
What is the great adventure of our time?
What is a wasted life?
What can the poor tell the rich?
What could the rich tell the poor?
How many ways of committing suicide are there?
How can prejudices be overcome?
How else can one think about the future, apart from trying to predict it or worrying about it?
Is ridicule the most effective form of non-violent protest?
How does one acquire a sense of humour?
What stops people feeling completely at home in their own country?
How many nations can one love at the same time?
Why do so many people feel unappreciated, unloved and only half alive?
How else might women and men treat one another?
What can replace the shortage of soul-mates?
Is another kind of sexual revolution achievable?
What is more interesting than becoming a leader?
What is the point of working so hard?
Are there more amusing ways of earning a living?
What else can one do in a hotel?
Theodore Zeldin is the bestselling author of Conversation and An Intimate History of Humanity. His TED talk has now been viewed 1 million times.
Winner of the Salon London Transmission Prize
“Scintillating . . . prophetic . . . engaging” – Financial Times
“A masterpiece” – The Times
What is worth knowing?
What does it mean to be alive?
Where can one find nourishment for the mind?
What is the great adventure of our time?
What is a wasted life?
What can the poor tell the rich?
What could the rich tell the poor?
How many ways of committing suicide are there?
How can prejudices be overcome?
How else can one think about the future, apart from trying to predict it or worrying about it?
Is ridicule the most effective form of non-violent protest?
How does one acquire a sense of humour?
What stops people feeling completely at home in their own country?
How many nations can one love at the same time?
Why do so many people feel unappreciated, unloved and only half alive?
How else might women and men treat one another?
What can replace the shortage of soul-mates?
Is another kind of sexual revolution achievable?
What is more interesting than becoming a leader?
What is the point of working so hard?
Are there more amusing ways of earning a living?
What else can one do in a hotel?
Theodore Zeldin is the bestselling author of Conversation and An Intimate History of Humanity. His TED talk has now been viewed 1 million times.
Winner of the Salon London Transmission Prize
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Reviews
Scintillating . . . prophetic . . . engaging.
A masterpiece.
A challenge and a success . . . He is particularly good and funny on work and the apparently catastrophic affair we are having with management science.
Without question the wisest book of the year . . . at once learned and delightful . . . a cure for the prevailing gloom, always on the side of joy, openness, enquiry and freedom . . . The guide we need to the art of living.
One of the best books of the year. An erudite and mouth-watering manifesto for a new art of living.
Captivates by its brilliance and profundity.
Delightful and endlessly fascinating.
Theodore Zeldin, philosopher and author of many books, including "An Intimate History of Humanity" has many new ideas that can truly set you thinking . . . New mantras for this age.
A truly wonderful book. Even the contents gave me shivers of excitement. If your wish is to be alive then read this book.
A priceless gem, a book that remains in the heart and mind like few others...incredibly inspiring . . . I would almost compare it to Montaigne and his Essays... often ironical, never banal . . . accessible to anyone, should absolutely be read, reread and studied in depth.
When readers start asking themselves the questions it poses, they find themselves living differently. A transformative book, full of wisdom that can be enjoyed by anyone from teenagers to centenarians.
This book is unique in providing new frames to guide us in discovering how we want to live our lives.
Essential reading. I am glad I read it now, but it's one I wish I could have encountered as a teenager . . . I argued with this book, I lived it . . . An enriching journey that will last a lifetime.